* Put 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet. * Add mashed garlic and turn heat to medium. * When the oil is hot, before starts coloring, add mushrooms. * Add salt and pepper.* Sauté until the mushrooms are tender. Transfer the mushrooms with their juices to a food processor fitted with a blade and reduce to a coarse paste.* Start cooking the gnocchi in boiling lightly salted water. I a skillet put 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and 1 mashed garlic clove. Turn heat to medium. * When the oil is hot, add the clams. * As soon as the clams start opening up, add the mushroom paste.* If the gnocchi are not ready yet, turn the heat off under the skillet. Avoid overcooking the clams. Drain the gnocchi, drop them into the skillet, add the optional cream, sauté briefly to combine flavors. Serve at once topped with chopped parsley.